Hong Kong national security police have taken away the brothers of wanted activist Anna Kwok for questioning, according to local media outlets citing sources. It is the latest move in authorities’ investigations into eight overseas pro-democracy figures facing arrest warrants and HK$1 million bounties.
Kwok’s eldest brother Kwok Hoi-tung was taken from an apartment in Tseung Kwan O on Tuesday afternoon for investigations into whether he had any contact or financial transactions with the wanted activist, according to local media outlets including Ming Pao and HK01.
Kwok’s other brother, Kwok Hoi-shing, was also taken away by the force’s National Security Department on the same day for investigation, according to reports.
Kwok’s brothers’ names have been translated from Chinese-language media reports.
HKFP has reached out to the police for comment.
Parents taken away
Kwok, 26, is among the eight self-exiled activists wanted by the Hong Kong national security police, with authorities offering a bounty of HK$1 million for each of the democrats.
She is the executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a non-profit organisation in the US that supports the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Her social media page states that she is based in Washington D.C.
This is not the first time Kwok’s family members have been investigated by police. Her parents were reportedly taken away for questioning less than two weeks ago. They were “suspected of assisting persons wanted by Police to continue to commit acts and engage in activities that endanger national security,” police said.
According to her biography on the Hong Kong Democracy Council website, Kwok was an anonymous activist behind major international campaigns raising awareness of Hong Kong’s protests and unrest in 2019. That year, the city saw widespread opposition to a controversial extradition bill, which ballooned into demonstrations against the Hong Kong and Beijing governments.
Kwok has been accused of colluding with foreign forces.
Wanted self-exiled democrats
Tuesday’s investigations came just days after two women with alleged links to wanted activist and ex-lawmaker Nathan Law were taken away for questioning.
A woman named Yu Chi-yan was taken from an apartment in North Point on Friday afternoon. Local media outlets reported that she was known to members of former pro-democracy party Demosisto, of which Law was a founding member.
Law’s sister-in-law was also taken from an apartment in Tung Chung for questioning on Saturday, according to local media.
In separate replies to HKFP, police said both women were “suspected of assisting persons wanted by Police to continue to commit acts and engage in activities that endanger national security.”
News of Hong Kong authorities’ arrest warrants for eight overseas democrats made international headlines since national security police announced the move last month. Police offered HK$1 million bounties for each of the wanted people, and encouraged them to come forward.
Besides Kwok, the wanted democrats are ex-lawmakers Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok; activists Law, Elmer Yuen, Mung Siu-tat and Finn Lau; and solicitor Kevin Yam. All of them are now based abroad, including in the US, UK and Australia.
Family members and acquaintances of Dennis Kwok, Mung, and Yuen have also been reportedly taken in for questioning since the warrants were issued.
Police said that the group had “seriously violated the national security offences” by ”calling for sanctions against local officials“ and “scheming for foreign countries to undermine Hong Kong’s status as a financial centre.”
While Western countries have denounced the arrest warrants, pro-establishment groups have thrown their support behind the police move and said the activists should be held accountable to the law.
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